This page provides answers to some frequently asked support questions about NetTutor.
Additional NetTutor® questions, such as those dealing with the Live Tutorial, Q & A Center, and Archive Center are found in the student, tutor and group administrator sections of the FAQ.
Why am I appearing in the wrong tutorial room after I click on my classroom?
How do I submit a technical support question?
How do I submit a question for the tutor?
If my computer is not Java-enabled, how do I fix it?
I’m trying to log into NetTutor™, but it keeps telling me that I need cookies enabled. What do I do?
Why am I appearing
in the wrong tutorial room after I click on my classroom?
This can happen when you have cached your web pages. To fix this, do the following:
- Open IE.
- Go to the Tools menu on the top toolbar and select Internet Options. The Internet Options window will open.
- Select the Settings under the Temporary Internet Files.
- Select Every visit to the page.
If more than one classroom is open on my machine, the machine slows down tremendously and sometimes crashes. What can I do?
This is usually caused by the Java Virtual Machine. If possible, use the Microsoft JVM because it utilizes memory more efficiently. If the Microsoft JVM isn't available, like for a user on Windows XP, then install and use the latest Sun Java Plugin from http://www.java.com.Furthermore, always check to make sure that you don’t have pop-up blocking software enabled for www.nettutor.com.
When I try to open NetTutor™, the whiteboard will begin to load but then a little cup of coffee picture shows up in the system tray next to the clock, and then boom – a black screen which jams the entire computer. The computer reads a fatal exception error. How do I get passed this?
The user has installed either the Sun Java Plugin, Netscape 6.x, or Netscape 7.x. The two Netscape versions both install the Sun Java Plugin as part of the Netscape installer. This is evident by the "little cup of coffee” that shows up. The logo for the Sun Java Plugin is a small cup of steaming coffee, and when the plugin is in use, you'll see a small cup of coffee in the system tray by the clock.When the Sun Plugin gets installed, it makes itself the default Java environment for Internet Explorer. Normally, IE uses its own JVM. For browsers running on Windows 95, 98, and 2000, the Microsoft JVM is the preferred choice for running Java Applets. Using the Sun Java Plugin with the older versions of windows may cause your computer to crash.
The solution for this is to turn off the Sun Java Plugin for Internet Explorer. You can do this by following these instructions:
- Open the Control Panel and open the icon named "Java Plug-in". There might be more than one of these, with different versions. Start with the one that has the highest version number.
- You'll now have the Java Plug-in Control Panel open. Click on the tab that is labeled Browser.
- There will be a checkbox for Internet Explorer. Uncheck the box and click the Apply button.
- Close the Java Plug-in Control Panel and the Windows Control Panel.
- Close all Internet Explorer windows, and try the WorldWideWhiteboard™ again.
I am attempting to use NetTutor™ for a class. Every time I access the Live Chat button my computer freezes and then will not work. The computer says that it is loading the whiteboard but then freezes.
The JIT Compiler is known to crash Internet Explorer when launching Java applets like the whiteboard for certain versions of IE and the Microsoft Virtual Machine. The JIT Compiler is the cause of the majority of cases where the whiteboard crashes upon launching. Below are some instructions on how to disable your JIT Compiler.
- Open IE.
- Go to the Tools menu on the top toolbar and select Internet Options.
- The Internet Options window will open. Select the Advanced tab at the top of this window.
- You will see a long list of items with checkboxes. Scroll down to about the middle and look for the option that says "JIT Compiler for virtual machine enabled".
- Make sure that the box is unchecked. If it is checked, uncheck it.
- Click OK at the bottom of the Internet Options Window and close all IE windows.
How do I submit a technical support question?
Click here to email your questions to us.
How do I submit a question for the tutor?
There is a Q&A Center in which you may ask your mail questions. Simply click on the Ask Question button, and submit your question using the WorldWideWhiteboard™. Questions submitted to the Q&A Center will be answered by the tutor within two (2) business days. When your question has been answered, you will receive an e-mail notification stating this. After receiving the notification e-mail, you can go to the Q&A Center to retrieve your answered question (click the Retrieve Answer button in the Q&A Center).When you want to send a question to the tutor, do NOT sent it to the NetTutor support email. This email address is for support and assistance with NetTutor™, and the support team will not answer any other questions.
If my computer is not Java-enabled, how do I fix it?
If you're using Windows XP, it's possible that your installation did not come with Java. Java is what runs our WorldWideWhiteboardä applet, and you need to have it installed in order to interact online.The Sun Java Plugin is a free download available from http://www.java.com. On the main page, click the "Get It Now" button in the top right corner of the page. It should automatically prompt installation, you will want to close all of your Internet Explorer windows, then open one again and try the WorldWideWhiteboard™ applet.
You should not be getting the "Java Not Enabled" message, or the prompt for the automatic download anymore.
If my computer still says “Java not enabled” but I enabled the Java applets in IE’s settings, what else can I do?
You can have Java enabled through IE, but still not have it installed. To determine if you have the Microsoft Virtual Machine installed on your computer:If you are running Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition (Windows Me):
- On the taskbar at the bottom of your screen, click Start, and then click Run.
- Type: command
- At the command prompt, type: jview
If a message displays information about Java, you have the Microsoft VM installed on your computer. If a message displays Bad command or file name, you do not have the Microsoft VM installed on your computer.
If you are running Windows NT® 4.0, Windows 2000, or Windows XP:
- On the taskbar at the bottom of your screen, click Start, and then click Run.
- Type: cmd
- At the command prompt, type: jview
If a message displays information about Java, you have the Microsoft VM installed on your computer. If a message displays 'Jview' is not recognized as an internal or external command, operable program, or batch file, you do not have the Microsoft VM installed on your computer
If your operating system is Windows XP, the initial Windows XP release didn't come with Java. You have to download and install Service Pack 1 to get the Java, or go to http://www.java.com to download the Sun Java Plugin.
I have accessed NetTutor™ before, and it worked fine, but now I cannot get it to open. What could cause this problem? I try to log in, but the login page keeps coming back, or the page starts “flashing” or reloading.
A recent IE update disabled the gateway functionality of NetTutor™ for users using IE with the update. NetTutor™ has been updated as a result of this Microsoft Critical Update and now uses cookies.If you are having problems, please do the following in IE:
- Open IE, go to Tools -> Internet Options...
- In the area labeled Temporary Internet Files, click the button Delete Files...
- In the popup, click the checkbox, then click OK.
- When that is finished (it may take a few minutes), click the Settings... button to the right of the Delete Files... button.
- In the popup, at the top, select the option for "Every visit to the page", then click OK.
- Click OK on the Internet Options windows, then close IE.
- Restart IE and try NetTutor.
I’m trying to use NetTutor™, but sometimes instead of getting the page I want, such as Archive Center or Bulletin Boards, I get a blank popup or nothing at all. How can I get the page I want to display?
You may be running some form of personal firewall and/or popup blocking software. To use NetTutor™, you will need to set the popup blocking software to allow www.nettutor.com to use popups and set the personal firewall software to allow www.nettutor.com to communicate completely with your computer. Most, if not all, of these personal firewall and popup blocking softwares allow for you to specify a website or domain to be granted full access.
I’m trying to log into NetTutor™, but it keeps telling me that I need cookies enabled. What do I do?
NetTutor™’s login and user authentication process utilizes cookies, which will require your browser to have them enabled. If you don’t have cookies enabled, you will not be able to log in. If you attempt to log in, the login page will display a message stating that you need cookies enabled, and provide three links with more information about cookies. Please select the link that is appropriate for your browser, and read up on how cookies work and how to enable them. You may need to consult your browser’s help documentation as well.To learn more about cookies on using Internet Explorer, visit this site: http://www.microsoft.com/info/cookies.htm
To learn more about cookies on using Netscape, visit this site: http://wp.netscape.com/legal_notices/cookies.html
To learn more about cookies on a Macintosh, visit this site: http://www.apple.com/legal/privacy/aboutcookies.html
I'm using a Macintosh with OS X and the whiteboard keeps freezing? What's happening, and what can I do to fix it?
The way Macintosh OS X implements TCP/IP networking for java applets is causing instability in all java applets that perform networking functions.
To obtain the best functionality on the WorldWideWhiteboard™ using a Macintosh, we are updating our System Requirements to the following: